Has anyone seen this site yet? The company isn't able to ship out of Florida yet because of USDA restrictions, but definately worth keeping an eye on. I would buy some to try out if I could..

http://www.nativecrickets.com/

Heika

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There is nothing "Nancy"ish about chameleons.. they are ubernifty.

Interesting.
If they get approval to ship nationwide it would be nice to have another feeder to offer, although it's my understanding that you have to be real careful with black crickets. They tend to bite and cannot be left in enclosure over night as they may do harm to your sleeping chameleons.
I know this is a possibility with the house crickets as well, and I do my best to not have any feeder spend the night with my cham. But I guess the black ones are meaner or hungrier, or braver.

-Brad

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http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
Dedicated to superior care of all chameleons.

I've also heard that black crix are more aggressive.

-roo

Well there is a reason that the black crickets are cheaper. They are cannabals and can harm a chameleon. Should still be able to use as a feeder but spedcial attention will have to be made so that non are left in the cage. They like to attack things while they sleep. They much prefer to start eating the eyes first too. A chameleon would not be able to do anything about it in the middle of the night.

I have read that European black crickets are more aggressive than the brown crickets we use as well. Europeans have access to them and use them regularly though. I have never heard or seen anything about chameleons having their eyes chewed out, but I have seen brown crickets eat each other as well. I am sure that precautions would be necessary when feeding this cricket, but the possibility of adding a new insect to our rather limited selection is always exciting to me. And, I am going to venture a guess that this cricket is not the same variety that the Europeans use since it is native to the east coast of the United States. It is more than possible that the insect doesn't have any of the characteristics of the black crickets found in Europe.

Heika

Edit: Just looked up the European black cricket. It is the Gryllus bimaculatus, and the Florida ones are Gryllus Firmus. Our common brown crickets are Acheta Domesticus.

I agree Heika, and despite what I have heard about black crickets I would be interested in adding them to my feeding repetoire.
We have them here in Colorado, I used to catch them as a boy to feed my lizards. Perhaps I'll hunt for them this summer. Our patio is pesticide/fertilizer free due to fish, frogs and toads that I nurture out there and there are black crickets in the garden. Usually when I find one I toss it to a toad.

-Brad

For the last couple of years I have meant to collect enough of our local grasshoppers to start a breeding colony. My chameleons love them, but they are hard to catch. Maybe this year I will actually do it...

Heika

FUN!
Let's keep each other posted on our "grassroots" (pun intended) feeder breeding projects.

-Brad

LOL, alright, Brad. It would be really fantastic to have a breeding group of grasshoppers year round, wouldn't it?

do you guys use pillbugs? can i tell you my chameleon's love them.

i also am entering into my 2nd generation of slugs, most of my cham's love them even though they cannot catch them with their tongue, that slimy body, they have to bite them off the branches.
i started a land snail colony, they had babies but not many survived, i don't know why, i still have not fed snails to my cham's, i'm scared of the shell (all calcuim) but i have read of jackson's eating land snails. i have not actually spoken to anyone who actually fed a snail to their cham.
drew